Professor Fired for Remarks About Muslims

A Philosophy and Religious History professor at Tarrant County Community College in Fort Worth was forced to resign last month, after two Muslim students complained that he was saying insulting and disparaging things about Islam.

The controversy erupted during one of Dr. Paul Derengowski's lectures on Islam. He was telling the story of a Muslim raid during the time of the prophet Muhammad, when two Muslim students demanded to know where he got his information.

Derengowski said his sources included the Quran and a book about the life of Muhammad. It turned into an angry confrontation which ended with the two students walking out. They complained to the school administration, and one week later Derengowski was forced to resign.

Derengowski says the college took the politically correct route by focusing on what he was saying in his lesson instead of disciplining the students who berated him and disrupted his class. He says he will return to his job only when the school expels the two students, apologizes to him and allows him to resume teaching with no restrictions or stipulations.

Other students in the same class have filed complaints of their own against the two Muslim students. They say the two were so belligerent they made all of them fearful for their own safety. A spokesman for TCC will say only that the school is still investigating the matter.